What's growing in the Garden?

It is less than five weeks until baby boys due date.  Our garden is growing large, and we are busy teaching and learning new things this summer. 

Here is a few pictures of our garden now. 

 Garden Boxes, great for lettuce and onions.

 Hot peppers in garden boxes.

 Green beans.

 We cut the lettuce yesterday, and it is already sprouting up again.

 Green onions, in box.

 Over flowing corn pallet.

 The carrots are getting big.

 We laid the empty pallets out, so to keep the ground clear for a bigger garden next year.

 Our tomato plants are huge.

 They have not grown even one tomato.

We have enjoyed eating peppers, green beans, zucchini, onions, and lots of lettuce from it so far.  The carrots are almost ready for picking, and for some reason our tomato plants are huge, but there isn't even one tomato on them.  Our corn is taking over, and we are excited to harvest it in a couple months. 
What we have learned so far with our first garden.

1. Corn needs a bigger space if you want to plant a lot.  We plan to use the whole garden plot next year just for our corn.  
2.  Pallets are ok for some plants, but it is more ideal to plant squash like plants in their own space.  We will plant our zucks and pumpkins next year in their own plot.
3.  There are lots of tricks to not having to weed all the time.  We plan to use the black paper to create our garden plot next year.  We plan to actually lay it down before winter and then take it up after the thaw.  Then we will turn our dirt and put it back down.  We plan to plant our plants and seeds through it.  We saw several other gardens done in this style and liked it. 
4.  We love the garden box idea for short rooted plants.  We planted our onions and lettuce in boxes.  We have been able to cut and eat them, and then they re-grow again.  We hope to actually create an indoor winter garden with our boxes.  Then we can eat our own fresh produce all year round.  Thinking of trying cabbage in the boxes too.
5.  The biggest thing we learned is sometimes it is more affordable and less time taxing to buy and store other farmers produce.  We realized that berries, potatoes, and other local grown produce can be bought affordably if we pick them ourselves.  Then we can pick a lot and store them in the freezer.  We hope to pick apples  and peaches too.  It not only benefits us, but we also help a local farmer.  BONUS!!!

So, summer marches on, and we are learning from our gardening experience.  God is not only growing are vegetable garden, but we see him at work in the garden of our lives too.  As the big girls, Tyler, Lydia, and Rachel go out and share the love of Jesus with children this summer, we see a harvest ready for reaping.  There are children eager for the Truth of Jesus Christ, and what a joy to know that we can all be a part of building His Kingdom.  As the girls minister outside our home, the boys too are busy growing and maturing.  God is at work in their lives.  We are so excited at how each of them seem to be flourishing under their new responsibilities. 

So, as we all wait and anticipate baby boy joining our family, we keep busy with the work God has laid before us.  And as we work we hope and pray that the Fruit of the Spirit is evident in all our lives and that God alone receives all glory for our maturing lives of Faith.